» When to Breed, When Not to Breed

[SalemWitchChild]

When do you feel it is ok to breed?
When do you feel it is not?

My personal opinion is that we have so many cats already..why add to the population? Even if they are pure bred. Most will go to pet homes. And that is homes filled that could have otherwise adopted and saved a life.

However, I know there are those that breed and show. And I'm not one to tell people they can't do it just because I wouldn't. I do think there should be a universal standard. I do believe the government should start regulating catteries to so many litters per year. Because lets face it we euthanize more dogs and cats than we have possible homes for.

Thoughts? Opinions?

[Trixie]

I completely agree!!!! 100%! I appreciate the TNR program just for those reasons. Its nice that strays and ferals can be neutered/spayed and re-released into the wild without the worries of becoming pregnant and adding more fur creatures to the overpopulation issue. Nollee was part of the TNR program. Since she was feral for quite some time the humane society spayed and ear tipped her, in case she wasnt adoptable she could be re-released into the wild without reproducing (yet she would remain indentifable that she was part of that program by looking at her ear)!

This post has been edited by Trixie on Dec 3 2007, 10:45 AM

[Tiffani]

I also agree...

Did you know the earliest age they should leave their mom is 16 weeks? That is from reputable breeders.

[noludoru]

When do I feel it is not okay to breed? With 99.9% of the cats out there. It could even be a smaller number than that. I don't even know of any possible stats on how many cats there are, but it's probably less. Bottom line? If you are reading this, your cat HAD BETTER NOT be intact. Catch my drift? (If you got your cat from a rescue, a shelter, he or she was given to you, off the streets, you got him or her as a bottle baby, "free to a good home" kittens, pet store kittens, kittens you bought without any of the requirements fulfilled below.. YOU SHOULD NOT BE BREEDING!!!!! If you like baby kittens, during spring to fall there is usually an abundance of them in rescue. Please lead your misguided longing for 2am and 4am feedings and a destroyed house THERE.)

When do I feel it is okay to breed? In the very, very small percentage of people who have cats with a TRACEABLE pedigree who...

• health test for known genetic disorders in their breed
• are not putting one good cat with another.. but are searching through their pedigrees and with all eligible cats in their breed for not only a suitable, but an EXCEPTIONAL match
• have exceptional cats who they have shown;
• the cats in question have exceptional temperaments, looks, and other qualities typical of their breed
• offer a health guarantee
• feed a high quality diet and have it in their contract that kittens are to be fed one as well
• work in rescue (I'm sorry... but I do not think it feasible to be bringing cats into this overcrowded world that has too little love to spare for them without ALSO helping the many, many unwanted cats in need. I'm strict, but I think it a monstrous injustice.)
• who are breeding for THEMSELVES. If you don't want a kitten from the litter, why the ** are you breeding the litter? You may not have the facilities for a cat from every litter, even if you breed only a litter every few years, but there should be other breeders and showers who *want* a kitten from your litter, and you should want one too, even if you can't keep it.
• NOT breeding for profit. If you are bringing more animals into the world for money.. I hope you burn in **. You disgust me.
• are willing to take back each and every single one of the animals you have bred if things don't work out, and do your damnedest to make sure they have good homes - whether with you or with someone else. (Extra star if you take back 'grandkids' from your breedings as well.. you're my hero!) They are animals *you* brought into the world and are first and foremost *your* responsibility.
• no specific age they leave home... my ideal breeder would do that based on the kitten's readiness.
• clean up your mistakes. If one of your cats get pregnant ("oops!") you will either find good homes for the kittens or get a kitty abortion.. and be responsible for those kittens as well. If one of your kittens leaves your property intact and goes to someone who indiscriminately breeds him or her, to be willing to clean up those mistakes and do your best to get your cat (and hopefully offspring as well) back and NEVER sell to that person again.

These are just off the top of my head. I KNOW it's strict, and probably one breeder in a thousand, but if a breeder doesn't at least follow all of this I could not begin to justify buying from him/her.

The fact is, when you buy from a breeder - any breeder, whether a mill or a reputable or anywhere in between - you are denying another animal in need a home and monetarily supporting a breeder. You are choosing one life over another, though in more of a symbolic sense than going to a kill shelter and picking a kitten from a litter about to be euthanized. You are denying an animal in a shelter not only a home, but a life. It must be worth it. If you buy from a bad breeder you are not only monetarily supporting them but often sentencing the animal's mother to a life of bearing babies until she dies of the complications, and ensuring its siblings are brought into this world as well. In the case of cats, often countless siblings. And those animals and their descendants in turn will take the lives away from shelter animals.

How is this different (slightly) by buying from a reputable breeder? If you buy from a reputable breeder you are NOT sentencing that mother to more babies.. the reputable breeder is breeding for his or herself ONLY, and it doesn't matter if you want a kitten because they weren't bred as a marketable product or for families who want a kitty for Christmas in mind. They were bred to further the lines of the breeder, and that breeder will keep each and every one of them if suitable homes aren't available. The difference here is obviously not only the motivations, but this is something many people don't seem to grasp so I figured I'd clarify. (With dogs my answer is a bit different.. due to some reasonable, persuasive arguments I've changed my opinion slightly.)

With all my vehemence about breeding and my strict requirements, you're probably wondering why I even begin to support any breeding of any sort at all . . . but it's only because I think it would be a true shame to lose all the amazing breeds we do have. Persians, Siamese, Turkish Vans, Russian Blues... it would be a tragedy to lose those fine lines forever, and people would have to work for decades to build them back. And try they would. It's in human nature. Better to preserve the exceptional examples we still have.